I posted about Tom Rush’s Circle Game album back in August of 2012. As I noted back then, Tom is a great interpreter of songs written by other great singer/songwriters. Today we feature Tom performing Child’s Song (written by Canadian Singer/Writer Murray McLauchlan) in 1970 and in 2013. I think you will agree that Tom has lost none of his magic as a performer during the last forty some years…….

Child’s Song – Tom Rush 1970

This performance is from Festival Express, a 2003 documentary film about a 1970 train tour across Canada with a variety of musical acts performing along the way. Be watching for a post soon featuring the complete Festival Train movie!

Child’s Song – Tom Rush 2013

Here are the lyric from this beautiful song about leaving home….something that we all have to do!

Goodbye momma goodbye to you too pa
Little sister you’ll have to wait a while to come along
Goodbye to this house and all it’s memories

We just got too old to say we’re wrong
Got to make one last trip to my bedroom
Guess I’ll have to leave some stuff behind

It’s funny how the same old crooked pictures
Just don’t seem the same to me tonight
There ain’t no use in sheding lonely tears mamma

There ain’t no use in shouting at me pa
I can’t live no longer with your fears mamma
I love you but that hasn’t helped at all

Each of us must do the things that matter
All of us must see what we can see
It was long ago you must remember

You were once as young and scared as me
I don’t know how hard it is yet mamma
When you relaize you’re growning old

I know how hard is not to be younger
I know you’ve tried to keep me from the cold
Thanks for all you done it may sound hollow

Thank you for the good times that we’ve known
But I must find my own road now to follow
You will all be welcome in my home

Got my suitacse I must go now
I don’t mind about the things you said
I’m sorry Mom I don’t know where I’m going

Remember little sister look ahead
Tomorrow I’ll be in some other sunrise
Maybe I’ll have someone at my side

Mamma give your love back to your husband
Father you’ve have taught we well goodbye
Goodbye Mamma goodbye to you too pa
Goodbye momma goodbye to you too pa

Little sister you’ll have to wait a while to come along
Goodbye to this house and all it’s memories
We just got too old to say we’re wrong

Got to make one last trip to my bedroom
Guess I’ll have to leave some stuff behind
It’s funny how the same old crooked pictures

Just don’t seem the same to me tonight
There ain’t no use in sheding lonely tears mamma
There ain’t no use in shouting at me pa

I can’t live no longer with your fears mamma
I love you but that hasn’t helped at all
Each of us must do the things that matter

All of us must see what we can see
It was long ago you must remember
You were once as young and scared as me

I don’t know how hard it is yet mamma
When you relaize you’re growning old
I know how hard is not to be younger

I know you’ve tried to keep me from the cold
Thanks for all you done it may sound hollow
Thank you for the good times that we’ve known

But I must find my own road now to follow
You will all be welcome in my home
Got my suitacse I must go now

I don’t mind about the things you said
I’m sorry Mom I don’t know where I’m going
Remember little sister look ahead

Tomorrow I’ll be in some other sunrise
Maybe I’ll have someone at my side
Mamma give your love back to your husband
Father you’ve have taught we well goodbye
Goodbye Mamma goodbye to you too pa

When you have a song catalog with the size and quality of Neil Young’s you have little reason to cover another writer’s songs……and yet at last year’s Farm Aid benefit concert Neil chose do exactly that. The only possible rationale for this act is that Neil has a deep and abiding respect for the song’s writer who was none other than Gordon Lightfoot. Let’s listen to Neil’s cover version of Early Morning Rain………

As it turns out, this was not a one time event….it was the start of a trend. Neil has been performing If You Could Read My Mind, another Gordon Lightfoot classic, during his acoustic tour this year and has included that song on a soon to be released album titled A Letter Home. Deep and abiding respect indeed…….

Let’s listen to the original recording of the song by Gordon that was released on his first album in 1966….

Now for the really amazing fact…..this song has also been recorded by a few other musicians you might have heard of……..

Today’s post continues our Holiday Music Countdown in Two’Fer Tuesday style. I have two great versions of Joni Mitchell’s song River. First up is a performance by James Taylor which is followed by a performance by Sarah McLachlan. I would be hard pressed to say which is my favorite….they are both great and I think you will enjoy them.

Thanks to Joel Bernstein for the great picture of Joni skating on a river.

I’m a big Dawes fan (you already know this if you have been reading this blog!). They recently released a new video for Most People from their Stories Don’t End album. It includes some good tour footage so I thought you might enjoy it.

As a bonus, here is a great clip of a Dawes/Mumford and Sons performance of a little ditty that some of you might be old enough to have heard before 🙂

Sometimes groups surprise me and this is definitely one of those cases. I was flabbergasted when I heard that Metallica had covered Turn The Page and really didn’t know what to expect from them. Once I heard their version it all made perfect sense. The great Kirk Hammett slide guitar part that replaced the saxophone solo from Bob Seger’s version immediately convinced me that the song was in good hands. Let’s listen……..

Over the past couple of weeks I have been spending a lot of time listening to Daughter, a British folk group fronted by Elena Tonra that has a great indie sound. I particularly have enjoyed one of their songs that I found online, Get Lucky. Let’s listen……..

Much to my surprise, I discovered that Daughter’s version of Get Lucky was a cover version of a Daft Punk song. Daft Punk doesn’t play the kind of music I normally listen to but I was intrigued enough to seek out and listen to the original version of Get Lucky. Listen and see what you think…..

After listening to Daft Punk’s version I have to say that Daughter’s version is the ultimate proof that a cover song doesn’t have to be a note for note copy to be great. Amazing job Daughter! We will definitely be talking more about you in future posts on this blog.

As always I am interested in hearing your thoughts……post a comment and let me know which version of Get Lucky you like best.